Orthopaedic exercising device



Dec. 24, 1957 H. K. SADLER 2,817,524

ORTHOPAEDIC EXERCISING DEVICE Filed Aug. 19, 1954' M51672 d ez'fhSad/7e? mam I J Unite States Patent ORTHOPAEDIC EXERCISING DEVICE HelenKeith Sadler, Highland Park, Ill.

Application August 19, 1954, Serial No. 450,860

4 Claims. (Cl. 272-79) This invention relates to improvements inorthopaedic exercising devices for physically handicapped persons, suchfor example as patients recovering from poliornyelitis.

More particularly, the invention relates to orthopaedic devicesparticularly adapted for controlled exercise and rehabilitation of hand,arm and shoulder muscles and adapted to retrain nerve and muscle controlin specific portions of the upper trunk as the attending physician maydesire.

Another object of the invention is to provide a small portable exerciserfor this purpose which can readily be transported from place to place orfrom room to room without requiring the moving of heavy frame apparatusor special furniture and seating means.

Still another object is to provide exercising means completelyadjustable for the specific needs of a particular patient withadjustable means for increasing or decreasing the frictional resistanceunder professional supervision and for operation by the patient.

Yet another object is to provide means of this general character whichwill be inexpensive, simple to operate and adjust, and including aminimum of parts which will require repair or maintenance expense.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and claims taken with the illustrative drawings.Such drawings are intended for illustration only and considerablemodification and variance therefrom will be possible without departingfrom the inherent characteristics of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of my invention shownmounted on a table edge. In this view, dotted lines shown additionalplanar positions of the to tatable plate.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the rotatable plate.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the ball and socke adjustment andof the frictional adjustment of the p-3te, the figure being aperspective view partly in section.

Fig. 4 is a view taken generally along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 looking inthe direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, this embodiment of the invention may bedescribed as follows:

A mast is provided which is preferably made of metal formed integrallywith and extending from the top arm of a C-clamp 12. The C-clampcomprises a frame 14 having a smooth inner face 16 on the upper arm andcarrying a thumb screw tightening means 17 on the lower arm.

Mounted at the top of the mast 10, and preferably formed integraltherewith, is a socket 18 having a concavity adapted to receivesubstantially more than half of the substantially spherical end of aball joint. The outer edges of the socket are substantially circular,broken, however, at the groove 20 and provided at either side of saidgroove with cars 22. The cars 22 are provided with holes 24 and 26 inaxial alignment, the hole 26 having 2,817,524 Patented Dec. 24, 1957inner threads, and said holes being adapted to receive a thumb screw 28threaded at one end to match the threads in hole 26. The thumb screw 28is provided with a shoulder 30 somewhat larger than the hole 24 so thatwhen the thumb screw is rotatably threaded into hole 26, the ears 22will be drawn together compressing the outer edges of the socket 18.

A mast extension element 32 is provided having a substantially sphericalelement or ball 34 formed at one end thereof. At the opposite end theelement 32 is reduced in diameter to form a stub shaft 36 threaded atits outer end to receive a wing nut 38. Adjacent the lower end of thestub shaft section 36, the element 32 is flared outwardly to provide agenerally circular flange or collar 40. This flange 40 is preferablyslightly dished at its outer face 42 to receive a frictional element 44.This element may be made of a rubber composition, standard brake liningor other suitable frictional material. A top disc 46 of shapecorresponding to the flange 40 is provided and is also preferablyslightly dished on its inner face 48 to receive a frictional element 50similar in shape, size and material to the element 44.

Referring now to the plate element 52 shown particularly in Fig. 2 thisis desirably in the form of a circular plate or disc made of relativelyrigid material such as metal, laminated plywood or Masonite. It isprovided with a central aperture 54 large enough to mount on the stubshaft 36 and desirably countersunk to receive a portion of the disc 46although such countersinking is not always necessary.

A series of apertures are provided at various radial distances from thecentral aperture 54. Mounted in any one of the apertures 56 is a handgrip 58 extending upwardly from the outer face of plate 52. This may ormay not be pivotally or frictionally mounted on the plate as desired. Asshown in Fig. 2, it may be fastened to the plate 52 by the wing nut 60and friction elements similar to 44 and 50 may be provided on eitherside adjacent the opposite faces of the plate 52.

Assembly of the exercising device will be as follows. The thumb screw 28is loosened to spread the ears 22 on the socket 18 at the top of mast10. The ball 34 of mast section 32 is inserted in the socket and thethumb screw 28 is tightened to hold the upper mast section 32 at suchangular relation to mast 10 as may be desired for the particularexercise designated by the treating physician. The frictional element 44is mounted over the stub shaft 36 and in the dished face of the flange40. The plate 52 is then mounted over the stub shaft 36 with the handgrip 58 on the upper side. The disc 46 is then mounted on the stub shaft36 with the frictional element 50 in contact with the plate 52. The wingnut 38 is then mounted upon the threaded end of element 32. This may becovered With a shield if desired. The hand grip 58 is then mounted onthe plate 52 either close to the central portion thereof, adjacent theouter edge thereof, or at some intermediate point. This completes the assembly of the exercising device.

To put the device to use, it is mounted on a table edge or other similarprojection and the thumb screw 17 securely tightened holding the mast 10in a rigid upright position. The thumb screw 28 is then securelytightened to hold the mast section 32 at the desired angle. The wing nut38 is then tightened or loosened as desired by the attending physicianto provide the desired frictional resistance at this point to rotationof the disc 52. The hand grip 58 is then mounted at the desired locationon the disc 52, it being understood that the closer said hand piece ismounted relative to the center of the disc, the more effort will berequired to rotate the disc, but at the same time the lesser will be theextent of movement of the hand and arm of the patient.

If desired, the hand grip element itself may be adjusted for a desiredfrictional resistance in turning or, as. stated.

above, it may be rigidly mounted on the plate.

It will be seen from the foregoing description of the exercise device ofthis invention that it affords a very wide adjustment for exercisepurposes. Thus, adjustment may be made so that the plate 52 is very easyto rotate but requires considerable extension of the arm duringrotation. On the other hand, it may be so adjusted as to require veryshort extension of the arm during rotation of the plate, but with awidely adjustable degree of friction resisting rotation of the plate.

By adjustment of the ball end 34 in the socket .13, a wide range ofadjustment may be made in the planar relation of the plate 52 to thehorizontal.

Provision of such wide varieties of adjustment, both of position and oftension in the exercising device permits the patient to exerciseparticular muscles or to work for coordination of nerve and muscles invery specific areas and is highly desirable from the standpoint of anattending physician, who may wish to vary the exercise of the patientshand, arm or shoulder muscles from day to day.

In the foregoing description, I have referred to the element 52 aspreferably a plate or disc. It is not necessary, however, that suchelement be circular as a bar, a slat or other form which may perform thefunction desired and which may be rotated may obviously be used in placeof a plate or disc. Similarly, I have referred to the element 58 as ahand grip. The present device may be used for exercise andrehabilitation of muscles and nerves of the lower extremities and lowertrunk of a patient and in such instances, a suitable foot pedal may besubstituted for the hand grip 58 if any substitution or alteration isnecessary for that purpose. Such a foot pedal would, of course, bedesigned to accomplish the same function as the hand grip 58 but shapedso as to adapt itself more readily to rotation of the element 52 by thepatients foot.

It will be obvious that the exercising device illustrated and describedwill be easily transportable from place to place, simple to adjust andinexpensive to manufacture.

Having thus described one embodiment of my invention, I claim:

1. An orthopaedic exerciser for the limbs and torso comprising a mastsection having one portion of a ball and socket joint over one end,thereof and a clamping fixture at the other end thereof, a second mastsection having the other portion of a ball and socket joint at one endthereof adapted to connect with the other portion of said ball andsocket joint on said first mast section, means to fix said ball andsocket joint in any one of a plurality of angular positions, means atthe other end of saidsecond mast section including frictional bearingmeans to receive and hold a rotatable element in adjustable frictionalrelation thereto, and manual means for rotating said element.

2. A portable orthopaedic exerciser comprising a rotatable membermounted on a mast section in adjustable frictional relation thereto,handle means on said rotatable member, and means to vary the location ofsaid handle means away from and toward the axis of said rotatablemember, ball and socket joint means between said mast section and a basesection and clamping means on said socket to fasten said mast section atan angular relation to said base section, and means carried by said baseto anchor said base to a carrying structure.

3. An orthopaedic exerciser for the limbs and torso of a patientcomprising a two-piece mast, a ball and socket joint interconnecting thepieces of said mast to permit angular change between said pieces of fromless than a separation to more than a separation, clamping meansassociated with said joint to maintain any desired angle between saidpieces, a C-clamp at one end of said mast for securing said must to atable, a flange at the other end of said mast, a stub shaft extendingaxially from said flange and having a threaded end, a rotatable elementmounted on said stub shaft, threaded means for adjustably clamping saidrotatable element against said flange, braking discs on said stub shaftinterposed between said flange and said rotatable element and betweensaid threaded means and said rotatable element, the adjustment of saidthreaded means imposing an adjustable drag on the rotation of saidrotatable element, and a handle secured to said rotatable element spacedfrom said stub shaft.

4. An orthopaedic exerciser for the limbs and torso comprising atwo-piece mast having a clamping fixture at the free end of one of saidpieces to secure the exerciser to a supporting structure, a rotatablemember, means securing said member to the free end of the other of saidpieces for rotary movement in -a plane perpendicular to the axis of saidpiece, said mounting means including braking means to impart any desireddegree of resistance to the rotation of said member, a handle mounted onsaid member in any one of a plurality of different radial positions forrotating said member, said mast including a joint intermediate its endsto fix the plane of rotation of said member in any plane from a verticalto a horizontal plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS979,070 Hoffman Dec. 20, 1910 1,535,391 Anderson Apr. 28, 1925 2,530,921Tougas Nov. 21, 1950 2,543,729 Magida Feb. 27, 1951

